Apollinarianism, Apollinarius

Apollinarianism is a Christological heresy named after its chief proponent, Apollinarius of Laodicea (c. 310-390 AD), a bishop and theologian who sought to address the question of how the divine and human natures coexisted in the person of Jesus Christ. Apollinarianism emerged in the 4th century as a response to Arianism, which denied the full divinity of Christ. While Apollinarius sought to defend the divinity of Christ, his solution veered into heresy by compromising the humanity of Christ.

The central tenet of Apollinarianism is the assertion that the eternal Word, or Logos, took the place of the human rational soul in Jesus Christ. Apollinarius believed that by combining the divine Logos with a human body and a human, albeit non-rational, soul, he could maintain both the unity of Christ's person and the fullness of his divinity. However, this belief led Apollinarius to deny the complete humanity of Christ, as he effectively replaced the human mind of Jesus with the divine Logos.

The Councils of Alexandria (362 AD) and Antioch (378 AD) condemned Apollinarianism as a heresy, and it was definitively rejected by the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. The Council affirmed the orthodox belief that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, possessing both a divine and a human nature that are united in a single person without confusion or change. This doctrine, known as the hypostatic union, became a cornerstone of Christian theology and remains the standard Christological position of the majority of Christian churches today.

Apollinarianism's significance in the history of Christian theology lies in its attempt to grapple with the complex relationship between the divine and human natures of Christ. Apollinarius's solution, while ultimately deemed heretical, represented an early attempt to preserve the unity of Christ's person and the fullness of his divinity in the face of competing Christological views. His ideas influenced later theologians, such as Cyril of Alexandria, who sought to develop a more nuanced and orthodox understanding of the Incarnation.

Several problems arise from the Apollinarian perspective. First, by denying the full humanity of Christ, Apollinarianism undermines the biblical teaching that Jesus is the perfect mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). If Christ did not possess a complete human nature, including a rational soul, it becomes difficult to see how he could truly represent humanity and act as a mediator between God and man.

Second, Apollinarianism calls into question the efficacy of Christ's atoning work on the cross. According to the doctrine of the Incarnation, Jesus Christ assumed human nature in order to redeem it (Hebrews 2:14-17). If Christ did not possess a complete human nature, including a rational soul, it becomes unclear how his redemptive work could fully extend to all aspects of human existence.

Finally, Apollinarianism has implications for the doctrine of the resurrection. The New Testament teaches that Christ's resurrection is the prototype and guarantee of the future resurrection of believers (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). If Christ did not possess a complete human nature, including a rational soul, it becomes difficult to see how his resurrection could serve as a model for the resurrection of human beings who do possess such a nature.

In conclusion, Apollinarianism represents an important, albeit flawed, attempt to understand the relationship between the divine and human natures in the person of Jesus Christ. While its chief proponent, Apollinarius of Laodicea, sought to defend the divinity of Christ against the heresy of Arianism, his solution compromised the humanity of Christ and was ultimately rejected by the Church. The orthodox doctrine of the hypostatic union, which maintains that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, emerged as a more biblically faithful and theologically coherent alternative to Apollinarianism.